Steering device



April 22, 1980. A. I. UNDEN '1,755,299

STEERI'NG DEVICE Filed Deo. 4, 1926l 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 22, V1930.

A. L LINDEN STEERING DEVICE Filed Dec. 4, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aprill 22, 1930. A. LlNDEN 1,755,299

` STEERINGDEVICE Filed Dec. 4, 1925 4`sheets-shee 3 April '22, 1980. A. I. UNDEN 1,755,299 STEERING DEVICE Filed Dec. 4, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ievention;

r li'alientedV Aprlr22, 1930 i I i ;Anvin i. Linnnii, or Bnoo'nnvmfnnw YORK.

'srnnnme DEvIci:

' Application ei'fi December 5 with toy Vehicles, coaster Vwa'g(ns,and childrenls'vehicles general'ly.- 'i

The main object of the presentinvention is to provide a novel vand improved arrangei mentl of Vmeansv for' controlling the steering mechanism in children's vehicles'of the character mentioned, with a view toV olotaining a sensitive and effective' control in'a manner 'perinitting full freedom' and case' of move- Inent ofthe childls body; I

` fAnother object offthis inve'ntion is to providea novel andjirnproved typeof steering.

control mechanisin adapted for use in connection With vchildrensVehicles, which owing` to i the simplicityofits:design can be produced at relatively lowcost, yet, insuring full and efficient controlof the Vste`er'in mechanism. w *A further object is to provide a 'steering control arra'ngement which is i p articularly i adapted for use inconnection with childrens Vehicles of the' type 'where a child standing at the, rear of thevehicle maypropelthe lsame lby pressing one footV against=`the ground, the arrangeinent being such as to pernii't full free- VV'doniof movement of the lchildls body `while i I vehicle, filed hymel May 20th, 1925,l Serial=80 No. 81,477, I have describ'ed and claimed aV fcontroL; 7 i' As a further feature, IV provide lmeans whereby the steering control mechanism Vmay 'afoding a very Sensitive 'and eiiicie'ntsy'stem `be operated either hya'childlstanding at the 'rear ofj the vehicleporifbya child vseated in front, riding as a passenger' f 'lvVith these' and ,other objects in view, as

will 1 more 'fully 'appear'V as' the'desc'ription 'procceds, this invention furthermore: com

'pirises certain novel arrangenients and constructions' of parts as will be here'inafter'fully described and a claimed finV the appended My invention maybe applied in' connection with Vehicles of various 'types ,andV designe, and this p'ossibility is illustr'ated inlthe drawings, where: f

.Figx 1 isV a enibodying the main plan viewv off a' childs 4, 1928.v serial ivqxij'aem. I

same; I r- Fig. 3 is a detail view inv perspective'f-;of1` the steering arrangementiused in the vehicle of Figs. 1 and 2; s `V 555 Fig is' a detail viewin perspectve ofa different type of steering arrangfemeht';

Fig. 5 'is a deta'il view in perspective of a still different Vtype of -stee'ring'l arrangement 'where the control levers are movable 'transversely Vof the longitudinal'axisof'the'xve' i hicle';

I Fio'. 6 is a side view in Velevation of a child s-vehicle showing still another type' of steerin arrangement'; w

Figl is an inverted planvie'w thereof';V Fig. 8 is a detail fragment-ary view in perspective 'of part, of a' steering arrangement used in thel 'vehicle shown in Figs. 6 an'd 7 A Fig; 9 isa detail viewin perspective of a soniewhat' 'simplerdesign W Fig. 10 is a side view in elevation ofa'f childs vehicle of a somewhat different con- 'strnction, providedwith asteering arrange'- ment showninFig. 9; -V i f Fig.V 11 is alplan view of the same; and

` FiglV is a rear view in'velevation of the' sameV` I 'f In another patentV application forl 'childs braking means adapted to he independently V i operated either by a child seated on the'plat-V form, or by a childfstan'ding on the foot sup- V One of the main features of the vvehicle describe'd in the said applicatiomzis'thense of '90 a particularlyf efii'cient and Sensitive method of steering, including' i the use of relatively long steering control levers', extendin'g within convenient reachof the. child at the rear and permitting a free and easy swing of the body ofsaid child when'steering ``thev vehicle to one i Vside' or. the other. vehicle features' w of vthe present ln'connection' with said w, steering control levers, have described a system of steering Fig. /fis side view Vinjelevation 'of the eonnectons between said'levere and'tie front 1.130

axle, including the use of a. rock shaft longitudinally mounted underneath theplatform,

irangement of steering control levers whereb the. advantaffes ofsensitive control and .V b i convenience of operation due to the use of control levers such as described in my previous application are retained, but the levers themselves are mounted to swing in a front to' rear directioneinstead of transversely of the aXis of the vehicle. 4

The simplicity of design and construction of the steeringmechanismV as a whole has been obtained by combining` the use of swinging control levers with that of fleXible connections associated therewitli, transmitting the movement of saidlevers to' the front wheels or to the front aXle. The use of flexible connections between the steering control memberand the Operating member is not in i a broad sense new, per se; but the combination of flexible connectmg means and swinging control leversof the Character described in my previous and in the present application, 1s, I believe new, and constitutes an improvement over the previous art both on account of .1ts slmpliclty and on account of the positlve,

effective and Sensitive control, which is made possible thereby. i

The combination of the two main features mentioned, is illustrated in Figs. 1,-2 and 8, where 20 designates the main vehiclev platform, terminating at the rear in a relatively narrow section constituting a foot support 21. The front end of said platform, also preferably narrows down from thecentral portion thereof to its extreme end 22, whichis preferably provided with a transverse member of bar 23, extending laterally thereof and providing a convenient foot rest for the child'riding on the front part of the vehicle.

In order to provide Abetter accomodation for the occupant of the front part of the platform, the main platform is preferably provided at its intermediate portion with an additional'seating platform 23, spacedtherefrom a sufficient distance to provide a conven` ient seat for the'child riding on the vehicle. Said seating platform is preferably made up of a series of longitudinally extending slats or strips 24:, supported by two cross members V25, 26, mounted on uprights 27,28, integral with or attached to platform 20, and profecting upwardly therefrom.

-otherjfoot against the ground.

Platform 20 is supported on apair of rear wheels29, 30, mounted on a rear aXle 31,

Vaxle 34, which is attached to swing about a Vertical Vpivot 35, depending fromV platform v20. These wheels may be of any desired char-,

acter and may be provided with ball bearings, tires and other featurestending to improve the riding qualities of the car.

V The mainv frame of the vehicle thus described, may therefore conveniently accomodate two children, one seated on platform 23 and the other one standing on foot support 21 at the rear, the propelling being done bythe child at the rear by pushing with one or the Since it is also possible for onechild alone seated on the platform to ride the vehicle especially when coasting downhill where no propulsion is needed, it is desirable to-provide steering braking means adapted to be operated independently byv either child.

V As stated in my previous application, I prefer to provide means for controlling the steering mechanism in the form of levers havving relatively long leverage, extending to a considerablei distance above the, platformat the rear within convenient reach of the child standing on the foot support.

In the arrangement described in my previous applicatiomthe steering control levers are pivotally mounted on longitudinally eX- tending pivots 'so that they are movable transversely of the aXis' of the vehicle; andV by means of suitably arranged connections the arrangement may be made to steer the vehicle inithe same direction as that in which Vthe upper ends' of the steering control'leversV 'are Vmoved. Thus, the child propelling the This type of vcontrol does not depend on the swaying of the childs body .for its action, and therefore it is not quiteV as easy and.

.Sensitive as the type-of control described in my other application; but on the other hand, the child at the rear has a firmer hold on the steering leverswhich insures a saferriding on irough ground, and furthermorethe exercise provided by the exertion of the force necessaryto move the levers one way or the other is extremely beneficial to the muscles of the arms'and induces regular and ,deep breath-` mg.V i o I accordingly provide two side substantialo -The hpp ooeiderehle .iehgth vabove-the 'platform to to bel' movahle a front to fear dirfeotion. er feiisfof said lei'eeext'eii' for 'a Vajjpoiht 39 withiiroonveiiieiit reeo'h of the 'c'hiild'stadifig 'the'lfoot isoloport'V at the ,feaf'' 'the 'lower end's extendjto point slightl below` platform 20 and? are provided i g with 'pin or sol-eh oe'eo, 4-1, pfojeoting dowirwa'rdly therefrom Sai pns V('ir'fstuds e0', '41',v are each inserted thijog'h fa finger eye V42, 43; which s :inserted in'aflexihle coniieotfioniy 'attaohe to froiitaxl'e' so that by motfifig--ione p of the 1 epif'ihg* letters in i one' direotioii, ar'dtl'le other one n'the- Opposite oliroc Von, the. fiexiblejcoiiect'ion Will case a-Iiing ttirelctioii desiiled;

' 'Ii'i the'errengement show-rg the'fiexihle' oohf Iieetio'ir consists of a; Voofl't''rruohs Cable o'rA oheifi 445, ruhjfiihg-oveif'two=fghide pulleys 4:5, 46', at one "side, then i'imniiigi over' a; central ottidepttlleys f'dggatfthe others'ide', the two front encls; ofe-aid Cable 50, 51,- or'oesing one ;mother at an intermediate Vpoint l52, and -heiiig Looimeoted to thejfronft axle ,84 at points at an eqoal disteiioe-'from Pivot 35. o

` result of thisV eri'eii'ge'meii-t ie th'ot'if 'the upejr' eiid ofoohti'ol lever 36- -ie moveol'` V towztifj sjthefront While theV upper enclo-E le- 1 ver; 37 is] moveeltow'afds there-e13, fthe llower tothe front,v ring or' eye 43:; `Vlt'ihg 42 will therefore set under Vtension andpull V'to''w'fa`;i."`ds' the rear'thesectionj ofocable *51 attaohedtherev 40 to, causirigfthepfront a'xle: to'sitiiijigin lajcouii-- o ftereloc'kwse direotion,ste'erng the Vvehicle o to'tle left ;at the' :same-'time the ring or; eyel w pays'the oabl-e sectiono'ooattaohed'thereto at the otherf side, :permitting o the an'guier thev laeeient :of point 53A alooutpivot 35' caused the angulaf m'ot'ern'ent of the axle.: The

w vehicle' will be'steer'ed iii the oppo'ste' Vdirec- 'tioiiiftlie upper end' of lever 86 is-mo'vedto'- W'ards' the rearl and? the'fupper end of level' 87'i'evioroe'oljtowerdethe'firont, the total length of thecable remaningalways the'same,

Besides'loeihg' recommended by itsjobtoiis 'simpli' "ty, the lclesoriloed arjrangemeht: has

' tl-roorhiiia Vertical se'nse, so that 'plajtiiori'nl 20.- maybe asl closerto the ground' asjxay' b'e desira'lole; this 'ie partioulerlyimportant vehicle instead of being' ofthe Wheel type is of the sleigh type, 'where lit' *is im- *portan'tto have'afrigidfoonstruotion aiilja 'low eeiiter' v of giravity;

' i is' desirble' ae'stated; that ftheisteering omechansm bealso opeiialo-le' the 'child sit-v .tiiig oil-:the platform; theie ore-iproviole 'alloofi the platform.

movement of the front vexle in the s-t'eerf 'the hrale shoe'59against the mabring his full strength to bear'olr the f ally nioonted ato' onvuprightso; oilegat each side of platform '23 at th'ezfroiltthereof. By

providing arteulated-i eonnectioiifhetween oohtrol'l'evere-Bo; '37, ;and aiime'r, 56,. by

tui'eperiiiitt-iiig-levere 86, 37 to bo either erated direct Vor means of hars 58;, 59. The-se barsjcohstitute in effeot, 'side loraees` which the child o'nlthe platform may grasp end whiohele'o prevent any load which bo oafriecloii thezvellfiole 'from elipping: later Vxded'tvith two stops 60,617, Vone at the ffro'nt and-oiie at the rear of eaeh aim 55, 56,' limit'- "iiig the anglar hiotion thereof. The b'ars or brac'es 58, 5-9 'arepreferalol'extendedVrear wardly'pbeo-nd the steerinfgrlevers 36,37, so

that the rearl end-s 162'of thesebr'ades eonstit-V tute handle bars Wh'ch'the may grasp z in ooiefto'tilt thevehieleeo esi-;o lift the front wheelso'if anobstru-cton or onto a curlo,

deelciflbed in` niy other patent application above'referred to afnd also' desoifibe'd and .cl-ainecl in a dvis'iorial application the'reof, `entitlecl 'leve'r Gwhlch is'hmg'ecl 'or'pivo'te'd 1nterme= diate ofwits ends to the transverse sllat;

Vs Sai-d Vle'ive'ii ru-ns from' froiittoi rear; .cen-

trolly off the struottiie aiid its Vfear end-:topie is'erteclv through and beyond platform P20.,

v while its front' end 6G exteiids between two of 'the slats 24 above cross member jfand .projec'tsl above and beyond the front end of. .platoralemearisfillustrated are of the' type o reise the'ioear' end' of the vehicle if dei for-m `23."'-Th e real? erid i's providedi'wth a V steri''l' projeotig upwardly through andV beyo-nld pl'atforinl'QO, said stemy carrying a pe'dal' 68,'Withi-i1 conven'iientreach of the foot of the o child. standi'rigon the foot' suppdrt Said.

child rnay easily plaee oneffoota'gaiifist pecl'al laiidpress 'it (lottoforcing'v 'end 65of the i I "1'1 57 brake leVer-down ontoth ground`,' said end.

65 being provided with. a shoet 69 which will ac't as a brake When 'pre'ssed against athe grou'd; or" else 'the ehild'sttingfon the plate; o form with his' foot 'on thefoot 'rest will V'havethe front end 66 'of vthe 'brakelever approximately between his lmees,l so that'lhe maty grasp it and'pullupw'ardly' soastof force brakelever' as he maybracefhmself. agaiii-st .the frortfifoo't rest while pulling" 'ilpwardly and'rerwardl o the brake leVer. ''llheloralltel p i lever is riorrnally vhold' Withthe brake* outof ground; He

means may be employed for this purpose, such as for instance, a spring 70.' v

lIf lesired, the front wheelsmay normally be held in alignment with the reari wheels so that the vehicle will travel in a Vstraight a connection 78.

Arm is normally helddown by spring 79, causing lever 73 tov interlock with segmental extension 71 as shown. In order vto operate the steeringlevers, lever 7 6 must be presscd against the steering levers, 'by the hand-grasping the same, against the action of spring 79, andin this manner. lever 73 will be released from' engagement with segmental extension 71 and will permit angular movelnent of the steering levers 'about pivots V38.

i The looking mechanism described may also `be controllediby the child sitting on the platform by providing lever 73 with a crankarm 80, and connecting it toarm 81 of a crank lever`v82 pivoted at 83 on brace or braces 58, 59, by means of a connection 84. By forcing lever 82 against the brace, arm 81 wille` be displaced angularly to the left and leverv7 3 will also in this case become disengaged from segmental extension. 71.V i

The locking mechanism described, is only shown in dotted lines in-Fig. 2 and is not shown in Fig. 1 because its useis optional and is not strictly necessary.

It is possible that after some use, theV cable used to transmit motion from the steering levers to the front axle may become slack due to elongation unless the fiexible element used is of a non-extensible nature; and therefore if desired, means for adjusting the tension of the cable may be introducechzfor instance, by mountingpulley 47' on a` support 85, adj ustable from front to rear by means of a screw 86, as shown.

-In Fig. 4, I illustrate a steering arrangement which may be used with the same type of vehicle, which also includes the combination of steering levers movable from'front to rear and a fiexible connection between said steering levers and the front axle ;V but in the present case both steering levers move simul- -taneously in the same direction, and therefore, the arrangement is preferably provided with some suitable means for locking it in la scribed with suitable modifications.

The-1 steering mechanism Vcomprises two side levers 100,101, mounted-on a; shaft 102, running transversely 'of the platform and provided witha drum 103. 104 designates a front aXle transversely mountedfon a central Vertical pivot at 105, and 106 designates a continuous cable or chain wound upon drum 103,

and having one of its ends-running over two Vidler pulleys 107, 108, and .then connected to the front axle at 109, theother end running over two idle pulleys 110, 111, and then connected to the front 'axle' at point 112, sym- Vmetrically arranged on said axle to point 109,

. end of the cable attached to the front axle at 109 will Vbe wound upon lthe drum while the other end is unwound, and the front axle will be displaced angularly in a clockwise direction, steering the vehicle tothe right. The combination of steering'le'vers of'the.

type described and flexible connecting means betweensaid steering levers. and the front aXle is not limited to steeringlevers movable from frontto rear. For instance, in F ig. 5, I illustrate an4 arrangement' where levers movable transver'sely of the axis of the vehicle are used. I

. i In the same 120, 121, designate two steering levers upwardly extending one atv each side of the vehicle at the rear'thereof, pivovtallym'ounted respectively at ,their lower ends at 122, 123, so as to be angularly movable transversely of the aXis of the vehicle. 124i designatesfthe front axle pivotally mounted about a Vertical central pivot at 125. A drum 126, is `mounted on a longitudinal shaft 127 and around vsaid drumiswound in one or more coils a flexible connectingrelement`128, having one .of itsends129 passing over an idler pulley '130, and thenV attached to the front axle at 131, while the'other end 132 .passes over idler pulley ,133'iand is attached toV the front aXle ata point 134 symnletrically arranged to point 131 with referenceto piv- Otal point 125.

Shaft 127 carries an upwardly extending arm 135 which is pivotally connected; at 136 to a cross bar 137 extending between steering leV'erS 120,121, and 'forming an articulated connection therebetween; being .pivotally at- 'tached to said steering levers by pins'or bolts 138, 139, respectively. p V

By'virtue of the arrangement described, it

.will be observed ;thatl angular displaeeinent lampa hr: Mund Mund (1mm, Or pully m5, fth

' st'tutes a smplification ofthe strigg' mach,`

way of connetingdfleyers tosaidlcrosvs.

the' .liowe ends af. -shelzing'livers mi), ,16311,- re:

thercable -sbrzmds bythe. action .of-.spring te: Thehezfomwhenthe cleaame .spae

bigle..

prisesfonly the seating platform 214 composed of a number of longitudinal slats 215, connected at the rear end by a pair of transverse slats'216, 217, and at the front end by Va slat-P218. i

i from, and provi'ding a rear support for twoj 'The front wheels are mounted on an axle 219, pivotally mounted on a transverse member 220, spaced from transverse bar 218, and attached theretoby a means of depending brackets 221. At thel'rear slat 216, isv provided a` depending bracket or 'supporting member 222, eXtending downwardly theremembers 223, 224, running underneath the platform andextend'ing both at the front and at the rear 'thereof. At thef front end said two members are supported byv cross member or slat 220. i V

Said two membersmay be madeof channel or angle iron and their extreme front ends are preferably connected by a cross member 225, providing a foot rest for the child sitting on the platform. Said two members run close to the sides of the vehicle, one at each side up to a point'underneath 'the rear end of the platform and then arebentinwardly as at i o 226, and then rearwardly as at 227, providing a support for a relatively narrow foot stand 228 just vwide enough to accommodate the twofeet of'the rider close to each other...

In the construction shown in order tohave a low center of gravity the rear faxle 229 has its central part 230 offset, that is, said aXle is formed in a VU-shape, with the upper portions of its legs turned outwardly and coaxial with one another to Wheels 231, 23 i The central portion 230 of the aXle is therefore at a lower llevel than the axis of the wheels andmay be `used as a support for the rearend of members 223, 224:, and foot stand 228 carried thereby. a i

By -virtue of this construction, foot stand 228, remains'at-a distance from the ground appreciably less than the radius of therearl wheels, and the stability of thestructure is accordingly increased. At the' same Vtime wheels of a comparatively large diameter may be used,'improving the easy running qualities of the vehicle. i' i i From the foregoingi-itfwill be noted' that the main featuresVV of my present inventionv may be applied in connection with Vehicles site' direction.

provide the shaft portions forV without departing from the scope of the ini vention as specified in the appended claims. I claim: i 1. In a' device of the class described, the

lcombination with a vehicle frame provided with a foot stand, and a steering'member, of two steering control levers pivotally mounted one ateach'side of said frame movable in a front to rear direction, and extending to a point within convenient Vreach of 'a' child standing on said 'foot stand, and vcontinuous flexible connection between said steering control levers and vsaid steering member, causing one of said levers to move in one direction when the' other lever is moved in the oppo- .-2. In a device :of the'classjdescribed,*the combination with a vehicle frame,`provided with a seating platform, and a steering'axle,

of 'two steeringcontrol members pivot-ally mounted oneat each side of saidv frame andv upwardly extending therefrom, side'railings forsaid platform connected to said control members and operable by a, child seated on said platform, to move said ,control members, and flexible Operating connectionsibetween'said control members and said axle.

3. In a device of Vthe class described, the combination' with a vehicle frame, provided withl a seatingplatform, `and a'- foot standl extending at the rear of said platform, of'a steering axle, two steering control members pivotally mounted one at each sideV of said platform, adapted to be independently operated by a child standing on said foot stand, side railings for vsaid platform, connected to said control members and operablelby a child seated'on said platform to move-said control members, and fiexibleoperative connections i between said control members and said axle.

4. In'a device of the class described, the combination with a! vehicle frame provided with a'steering axle, of two upwardly extending steering control 'members pivotally mounted intermediate of their'lends one at eachiside of said frameV on transversely extending pivots, and a fleXible element having its centralportion at the rear of saidframe a turned forwardlyto form two side strands connected each to one of said'control members and having their ends operatively :connected to said aXle.v i V:f

' 5. In a device of theclass described,the

combination with a vehicle frame,of apivotally' mounted front axle therefor,two upwardly extending steering control members, pivotally mounted intermediate of their ends, one at each side of said frame on transversely extendlng plvots, and a'flexi'ble'element having Vits central portion at the rear of'sad frame turned'forwardly to form'tw'o side strands conneetedeachto the lower end of one of said control members and having their j ends connected. to'said axle at points symmet; w

rcally arrangelV in relation to theV pvotal` i fsupport thereof. 

